My Own Little Self

Anoushka Poudel

I think I was a lucky child,
Born with a little bit of glowing fire.
I was angry and always fought the world.
I was barely a girl, more of a rabid dog.
As I grew, I learned to hide the flames.
I spoke softly, I learned their names
Of people I needed when I was weak,
Because I was meant to be a little meek.
Maybe I did not do a good job of it,
For they knew I was badly faking it.
In college, my teachers taught me
How to fuel the fire that was burning
They tore my curtains away
And smiled as they led the way
To endless ways of passionate living
But also taught me to be forgiving
Of people who knew not of women
Of difference, love and new visions
For I too had to learn how to love
And cherish my own little self enough

[Anouska is a student of MA (English) at University of Delhi, and a published novelist. Her debut novel, Beyond Her Eyes, has been published by JustFiction, Germany. She writes poems too.]